Barroso confirms new Commission posts

José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, has confirmed his intention to create a new portfolio for justice and fundamental rights in his next administration.

A commissioner for security and internal affairs will also be created out of the current Commission portfolio, which covers justice, freedom and security, Barroso said.

He said that the creation of two posts out of the existing portfolio mirrors the situation in many member states.

“Most governments, if not all governments in Europe, have a minister for justice and a minister for interior or security and internal affairs, so that’s one of the reasons I decided to have instead of one commissioner in charge of all these matters to separate [them] in the new Commission,” Barroso told a press conference today.

Barroso was speaking after meeting Thorbjørn Jagland, the new secretary general of the Council of Europe, the human-rights body.

Jagland welcomed the new portfolio. “That is a great thing for the Council of Europe because that is what we have fought for since 1949, namely that all nations, all entities on the European continent should take human rights seriously,” Jagland said.

Barroso rejected the suggestion that the move would pit the EU and the Council of Europe against each other in a battle to determine which body should be responsible for overseeing human rights in Europe. “It would be a good competition to see who could do more for human rights,” he said.

Barroso added that the new commissioner would be a good interlocutor between the EU and Council of Europe.

Jagland, a former prime minister of Norway who took up the Council of Europe post last week, said he wanted to see more co-operation between the two bodies, adding that “the EU is by far the most important partner for the Council of Europe”.

Most of the legislation proposed by the current Commission has been in the area of justice, freedom and security, as this is one of the most recent competencies given to the Commission. This trend is set to continue when the Lisbon treaty comes into force as much of the judicial and police co-operation will move from being an intergovernmental to a community competence. This means the Commission will have the sole right of initiative in this area.

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Strappara

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Posted on 10/19/09 | 10:07 AM CET

Strappara

STOP BLAIR from becoming the EU President or holding any public office and force the authorities to bring him to Justice to account for his crimes! Go to http://www.stopblair.eu/ Over 39,000 signatures. Stop this travesty from happening. Sign too the petition to press for him to be brought to the Hague to face charges for war crimes & illegal warmongering. This man is Dishonest, hypocritical & without integrity & must be kept out of public office and brought to justice http://www.petitiononline.com/BWCF/petition.html

Posted on 10/19/09 | 10:07 AM CET

Strappara

STOP BLAIR from becoming the EU President or holding any public office and force the authorities to bring him to Justice to account for his crimes! Go to http://www.stopblair.eu/ Over 39,000 signatures. Stop this travesty from happening. Sign too the petition to press for him to be brought to the Hague to face charges for war crimes & illegal warmongering. This man is Dishonest, hypocritical & without integrity & must be kept out of public office and brought to justice http://www.petitiononline.com/BWCF/petition.html

Posted on 10/19/09 | 10:07 AM CET

Strappara

STOP BLAIR from becoming the EU President or holding any public office and force the authorities to bring him to Justice to account for his crimes! Go to http://www.stopblair.eu/ Over 39,000 signatures. Stop this travesty from happening. Sign too the petition to press for him to be brought to the Hague to face charges for war crimes & illegal warmongering. This man is Dishonest, hypocritical & without integrity & must be kept out of public office and brought to justice http://www.petitiononline.com/BWCF/petition.html